WANTED - '67 or earlier

There is a beautiful splittie on the last block of Williams street before the rd. ends at the ocean in Richmond. The house often has beautifully restored vehicles out front. You should pay him a visit.

I have a couple Thai Friends that specialize in hunting down older Type II Splitties for restoration. They restore some of them and flip some of them.. They are in the Seattle area and have a 67 in the driveway now that they are preparing for rust repairs. They have several others that are older. Let me know if that is close enough for you and I'll arrange contact.

Hey Curt, thanks! I definitely would be interested in meeting your friends in Seattle. Hook me up! I truly cannot believe how helpful everyone on this forum is. Within a day or two people have offered some truly possible solutions. Clearly your air-cooled hearts beat to the sound of 'Dub-dub', 'Dub-dub'! I am so happy to have joined this great group.

Hi Pete,

just wondering if you were able to find a split bus? I have been considering getting one for a while and more so lately, but the prices are insane...did the contact in Washington State work out?

I have a couple Thai Friends that specialize in hunting down older Type II Splitties for restoration. They restore some of them and flip some of them.. They are in the Seattle area and have a 67 in the driveway now that they are preparing for rust repairs. They have several others that are older. Let me know if that is close enough for you and I'll arrange contact.

Hey Curt, thanks! I definitely would be interested in meeting your friends in Seattle. Hook me up! I truly cannot believe how helpful everyone on this forum is. Within a day or two people have offered some truly possible solutions. Clearly your air-cooled hearts beat to the sound of 'Dub-dub', 'Dub-dub'! I am so happy to have joined this great group.

Hi Pete,

just wondering if you were able to find a split bus? I have been considering getting one for a while and more so lately, but the prices are insane...did the contact in Washington State work out?

cheers,Ken

Hi Ken, I am still waiting to hear. I did leave a message for Curt and hopefully I did not screw up the electronic magic that connects us here. I'll let you know if it works out for sure. Best, Peter

There is a beautiful splittie on the last block of Williams street before the rd. ends at the ocean in Richmond. The house often has beautifully restored vehicles out front. You should pay him a visit.

Thanks Jason, I'll try to go by there on Monday. You have put together a very fine group here you should be proud. Best, Peter

My Thai friends have been busy helping a friend save his restaurant business but have your message. Their contact numbers have been sent PM as they feel it easier to stop what they are doing and take a message than it is to plan a time to call you.

Good luck hunting and if they don't have what you want, I'm sure they can help in your search.. I've seen as many as 16 splitties in their yard at one time or another.. the County did too and so they had to move them around.. LOL

My Thai friends have been busy helping a friend save his restaurant business but have your message. Their contact numbers have been sent PM as they feel it easier to stop what they are doing and take a message than it is to plan a time to call you.

Good luck hunting and if they don't have what you want, I'm sure they can help in your search.. I've seen as many as 16 splitties in their yard at one time or another.. the County did too and so they had to move them around.. LOL

Lol! Thanks Curt. I've been in touch by email with 'Dave' aka Puu and he is going to send me some photos and information. With the exorbitant price of Samba's these days I am reconsidering and may go for a Panel which is more practical for my purposes and hopefully a bit cheaper.

Ever since one 21 window Splittie sold for over $200,000 at auction, the market for these have gone crazy. My friends said that it's getting much harder for them to buy anything a a reasonable price. Even a rusted out hulk can cost more then $5,000 and then just to restore them to average condition can take more than 30,000 in labor alone and that is just for an acceptable condition Bus that looks OK 50 feet away.

They have labor resources that helps them stay competitive but still, it's getting impossible to fix one up for anything less than only an obsessed buyer can afford. They are waiting for the bubble to burst if it ever will, but any way you look at it, when you get close to one, even one that looks OK outside, you'll find complete floor panels rusted out to the point where there are structural concerns about driving one on a daily basis.

If you were set on having a VW Bus or Vanagon to start with, you'd be a lot better off looking for a Bay Window or a Vanagon to fix up. Even the latest model Splittie is 47 years old.

Ever since one 21 window Splittie sold for over $200,000 at auction, the market for these have gone crazy. My friends said that it's getting much harder for them to buy anything a a reasonable price. Even a rusted out hulk can cost more then $5,000 and then just to restore them to average condition can take more than 30,000 in labor alone and that is just for an acceptable condition Bus that looks OK 50 feet away.

They have labor resources that helps them stay competitive but still, it's getting impossible to fix one up for anything less than only an obsessed buyer can afford. They are waiting for the bubble to burst if it ever will, but any way you look at it, when you get close to one, even one that looks OK outside, you'll find complete floor panels rusted out to the point where there are structural concerns about driving one on a daily basis.

If you were set on having a VW Bus or Vanagon to start with, you'd be a lot better off looking for a Bay Window or a Vanagon to fix up. Even the latest model Splittie is 47 years old.

Hi Curt, you speak a lot of sooth there. My bodyman here who specializes in classic cars can't beleive what they are going for. He keeps thinking it's a rip-off and then the next rust-bucket is asking even more. He showed me a restored Chevy pick-up he bought in Oregon recently for $12,500. It looks great. Ready to go! No rust.

I totally agree with you - the Barrett-Jackson incident made everyone go crazy like the old California Gold Rush or something. The video again:

One thing is true though. If you look at one, the old splittie is the definitive design for a classic VW van and I heard that apparently they aren't making them anymore. Supply and demand. So I can't see those prices going down unless somehow there is a glut on the market.

Curt I have been talking to your friend Puu aka Dave and he does have an old panel in fairly solid shape. I would go for it if I can crunch my numbers a little harder.

This group was formed in 2010 as a place for VW van owners in Vancouver and the surrounding area to meet and foster our amazing community.

Just picture it....dozens of vans, split windows, bays, vanagons and eurovans lined up along the beach at Spanish Banks, Bar B Q's, dogs, and the odd cruise or camping weekend. Wrenching night, where we meet at different locations, and work on the vans.

The group is open to anyone who owns and has a passion for the VW van. Our club is a diverse group, including families, couples, dogs, you name it!